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Lexington-class light carrier
Lexington Class: Destroyer-class Carrier Operators: Commonwealth Royal Navy, Republican Navy Mass: 520,096 tons Cost: 2,423,537,663 talents Engines: :Right Engine Rating (20,000) :Center Engine Rating (10,000) :Left Engine Rating (20,000) Thrust: 5 Weapons: :Type (Location) ::50 37.5/5 ® ::50 37.5/5 (L) ::25 30/20 (F) ::25 30/20 (A) Fighters: 144 at 300 tons (Two Groups) Small Craft: None Cargo: 45,000 tons Crew: 980 Passengers: 20 Marines: 250 Extras: Anti-Grav Drives, Streamlining, Thrust Option Overview The concept of a light, fast carrier is far from new, but with the release of the TOG Seeadler class in 6745, Renegade Legion commanders decided it was time for their own new ship of the same class. After Grand Admiral Pov Hammond made a tour to study the TOG vessel, his report significantly influenced the design of the Lexington destroyer-class light carrier. This ship has been a stunning success in blitz raids into TOG space. Where the Seeadler-class destroyer stressed weapons systems at the expense of space for fighters, the Lexington carries the maximum number of fighters possible for its hull size. Carrying 144 fighters aboard ship is not without its price. The Lexington sacrifices both defensive and offensive capabilities to achieve it. The ship does carry strong firepower but is no match for Moltke-class vessels in a one-on-one fight. The Lexington mounts no missiles, which dramatically affects its ability to defend against fighter waves or ships of the same weight class or greater. It does, however, have high thrust. By distributing the excess power from the three engines, the carrier can usually evade most vessels of the same weight class. Fitzugh Industries, the manufacturer of the ship, currently sells more than three-quarters of its production to the Renegade Legions. Though the Commonwealth Royal Navy favors ships of this type, they are not as skilled in raiding tactics as the Renegades. They have, thus far, been unable to use the Lexington to its full potential, usually assigning it to patrol squadrons rather than sending it on raids. Capabilities Raids are the lifeblood of the Lexington Class. Its design was intended to bring the ship into a system carrying as many fighters as possible, then to attack and get out before the enemy has time to regroup. The Lexington succeeds in its mission, even surpassing its designers' expectations. Fighters are the focus of this class of ship. The Lexington carries two full groups. Within the Renegade Legion, only two to three squadrons of these are light, usually used for recon missions and diversionary attacks. The remaining fighters are medium to heavy class. Renegade Lexingtons tend to favor a large number of Na'Ctka Moqukas (Fluttering Petals) in their heavy squadrons. The launch and recovery bays on the Lexington number 24, allowing the ship to deploy four full squadrons at once. This faster deployment was recommended by Grand Admiral Hammond after careful examination of captured Seeadler Class vessels. The ship's superstructure has been a problem, with tremendous strain in key areas after numerous atmospheric landings. Only half the superstructures of the Lexingtons in service have been properly repaired, mainly because the time needed is three to eight weeks. Though the Lexington carries no missile systems, its firepower has an extended range and is reasonably strong. The Rathie Armories 37.5/5 laser bays are the core of the ship's weaponry. With a total of 50 lasers in each bay on the sides of the vessel, the Lexington can cause havoc at both long and close ranges. The forward and aft batteries constitute one-third of the ship's firepower. These consist of Rathie Armories' older 30/20 lasers, with each bay holding 25. These systems require nearly twice the maintenance of the larger bays because they were modified extensively for the hull of the Lexington. The Lexington carries 250 marines. Because the Renegades use the ship for its intended mission of raiding, theirs usually carry enough internal firepower to defend against a TOG marine boarding action. The Lexingtons in use by the Royal Navy do not often participate in raid operations, however, and so carry only about 100 marines, using the extra space for provisional storage. To support ground operations, the Lexington is equipped with both anti-grav drives and hull streamlining for atmospheric landings. After years of use, a problem has developed in a frequency conflict between the Astair shield generators and the anti-grav drives. When the anti-grav drives must operate for more than three hours of continuous use (a rarity), they tend to disable the flicker controls on the port and starboard aft sections of the ship. If use is continued, the generators in these areas of the vessel will burn out altogether. Deployment Lexington-class carriers have made their way into a majority of squadrons along the Commonwealth/TOG border. Their heaviest concentrations in the past year have been in Shannedam and Pembroke Counties. The best-known Lexington-''class ship is the ''Heart of Saratoga, attached to the mysterious Renegade battle group known as The Grand Illusion in Rift County. Errata The Lexington-class has an illegal amount of Bay Factors; destroyer-class carriers may have a maximum of 1,200 BF (non-fighter), while the canon Lexington has 1,252 BF dedicated to weapons. To correct this issue, downgrade both 25x30/20 bays to 25x30/15 bays. In-universe, the maintenance difficulties can be used to justify the change. Category:A to Z Index Category:Ships Category:Commonwealth Ships Category:Republican Ships Category:Destroyers Category:Carriers (CV)